Daily Yellowstone journal., 1887-02-26
Saturday, February as, 1857.
PREACHER


In the house Wednesday, the Sun
day law being under consideration
and on its final passage, Its provisions
seeking to close every character of bus
mess from q saloon bar 10 a barber
chair. Mr.. Anderson. the member ffom
Gallatin county, expressed himself
thus strongly againstit 1t: II can hardly
imagine that any member Of the house
seriously contemplstes voting In favor
of this bill as it now stands. Accord.
ing TO my view II Is not u fit subject
for legislation. We are here to legis-
late In the interests OF the people, and
not for the Lord, or the Lords day.
1.-THE Lord needs anything He ought
10 take care of Himself and His inter-
ests. Whist constitutes q proper oh.
servance of the Sunday law? A law
enacted to observe the Lords day ?
The entire matter should be relegated
to the religious or UNCONVENTIONAL or
CARNATIONS. In the beginning We
find that after the Almighty had
lsbored arduously for six long days
and nights he became weary, and de-
termined to rest on the seventh mot
on the first day and hallowed it, and
In the ten commandments under the
Je wish law and theocracy the COM
mandment was given as follows: six
days shalt thou labor and do all thy
work, but the Seventh is the Sabbath
Of the Lord thy God" and so far as
We know we have no authority for
changing The seventh to the first day
of the week commonly called the
Lords day. In the history and book
OF Jesus Christ. as recorded ia the
New Testament aud scriptures, We
have no intimation that he desired To
change the observance of the seventh
day TO the first day, nor in fact did He
appear to pay any particular respect to
the Jewish Sabbath; IN fact IL was
said Of him that he was u glutton and
wine bibber, q friend Of publicans and
sinners, and that he WA. q Sabbath
breaker, and this was exemplified by
his conduct when, with His twelve
disciples, He walked through the
fields OF corn, contrary To the Jewish
custom, plucked the ears, shelled out
the grain and distributed the kernels
TO His enthusiastic followers. The
same Lord. or Master, who Is evil
IDENTIFY referred to in this bill before
the legislature, distinctly stated that
"the Sabbath was made for man and
not nan for the Sabbath, y showing
conclusively that IL was lot intended
by the Divine mind for man to be-
come a slave TO the observance of any
moral, religious enactment, and this
doctrine il further exempliied in the
writings OF one Of Jesus Christ's most
prominent followers-St. Paul-when
he says: "Some men esteem one day
above another, others esteem every
day alike; let every man be fully per-
suaded in his own mind.m IL 10
hardly necessary for me TO say that
the bill under consideration seeks 10
interfere with personal rights and
constitutional privileges. There Is
nothing in the constitution Of the
United States that refers directly or
indirectly to the first day of the week
rs being Al especially privileged or
sacred day. With the American peo-
pie every day is supposed to be alike,
and a license granted to do business 10
any citizen Of Montana makes no re-
striction and imposes no prohibition
on his business, interests or arrange
ments. 1 can appreciate IN u measure
the probable action Of the members Of
this body, and can understand why
they may be favorable 10 this bill; and
yet ] realize that most of them are
M%ontsnians of long experience, but we
are all liable to be Influenced more or
less by extraneous or outside circum-
stances, and yet ! must give an opinion
that they all feel that thisis not proper
subject for Legislation. and / shall be
surprised II any considerable number
of votes shall be cast in Its favor. The
observance OF the first day Of the week
NJ a sacred day, or an enforced day Of
rest has no authority In either the old
or new Testament scriptures. The
early disciples Of Christ observed the
seventh day, butthey also co~ngregated
for religious worship on the first day
Of the week In commemorationsof the
resurrection of their Master; and yet
there lie not q particle Of authority for
dedicating or setting apart the first
day rs D Of supreme prominence rs
Of sacred observance. The religious
communities and sects have arbitrarily
set apart this day and now ask the
Legislative assembly Of Montana to